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-> '''Narrator:''' Welcome to the world of classic videogame [[TitleDrop Kid Radd]]. Meet Radd, the hero of the game.-> '''Radd:''' 'Sup?-> '''Narrator:''' This strip will follow the exploits of Radd, heroic dude and all-around cool guy.-> '''Radd:''' Awesome.-> '''Narrator:''' Of course, by "cool", we mean by [[TotallyRadical mid 1980's standards.]]-> '''Radd:''' (Does airguitar) Air guitar! Woo!-->-- '''[[http://www.bgreco.net/kidradd/comic1.htm#title The first strip]]'''

[[http://www.bgreco.net/kidradd/index.htm ''Kid Radd'']] is an animated PixelArtComic in the style of a SpriteComic by Dan Miller following the adventures of the eponymous VideoGame hero after being [[FishOutOfWater released from his game]].

While at first the comic was a lighthearted parody focusing on Radd's attempts to fit into a more complicated society, the plot eventually [[CerebusSyndrome expanded into a far-reaching, well-plotted, epic examination of video game character mentality]]. [[AvertedTrope And it stayed funny]].

Rose above [[SturgeonsLaw most sprite comics]] for its blend of a deep plot, humor, and philosophical questioning, not to mention its unique style- by composing its comic panels from HTML frames and smaller images, Miller was able to easily slip animated sprites and backgrounds into the panels.

Though the original site is dead and gone from the face of the internet due to AT&T discontinuing their Worldnet service, the site was previously packaged into an archive which is still [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes circulating]]. One copy can be found [[http://tangent128.name/depot/kid_radd.zip here]]. A link with a browser to view it in is [[http://kidradd.niftihalostudios.com/ here]]. A fan has uploaded the comic onto his own site [[http://www.bgreco.net/kidradd/index.htm here]]. Another fan has re-coded the comic to work in modern browsers and uploaded it [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/ here]].

A game based on the comic also exists, and can be found [[http://kidradd.wikispaces.com/fan%2Cprogramming%2CJason+the+Echidna%2CKRIME here]]. JTE (the creator) also has his own mirror up at [[http://jte.kidradd.org/ kidradd.org]]. The website is a little messed up though ([[http://kidradd.org/ this]] and [[http://forum.kidradd.org/ this]] result in error), and the comic only works properly on Internet Explorer (though it is still readable on Firefox, just without sounds!).

There are spoilers below. Be warned.

----!!Provides examples of:

* AccidentalMisnaming: Radd keeps calling Kobayashi, the ninja that has been hired to assassinate him, "Kielbasa".* [[spoiler:AIIsACrapshoot]]* AirGuitar: As seen in the page pic.* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Crystal's motivations and FreudianExcuse are examined just before she becomes part of the Seer's chimera form, and they go a long way toward explaining her psychopathic, violent behavior. Similarly, G.I. Guy is given a very sympathetic treatment, though he is always presented as a violent AntiHero and, later, a WellIntentionedExtremist rather than a straight villain]].* AlmostKiss: It's a [[RunningGag running joke]] for a while that the Kid Radd game ends just before Radd would get to kiss Sheena. Also shows up outside the game a few times, e.g. in 364.* AlwaysAccurateAttack: Kobayashi's shuriken, which comes as a surprise when he could never hit anything with any of his other attacks. Justified in that the shurikens arent technically thrown, [[HitScan they're programmed to "appear" on their target]], making it impossible for him to miss, since they were designed to be an instant kill move by the programmer of Kobayashi's original software.* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: "Hopetown Constitution: Abolished. Political rivals: Eliminated. Pleasantly evil new decor: Installed."* ArtEvolution: Early action sequences, while good, resembled old fighting and action games ([[{{Retraux}} which makes sense within the story]]). Later action sequences used bullet time, cameras that moved around the characters, [[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]-style, and resembled ''Manga/DragonBall Z'' more than anything.* BedmateReveal: After a party in Reset, Radd wakes up in bed with Bogey. Nothing happened, though, this turned out to be a prank played by Dr. Amp and Sheena.* BigBad: Crystal. [[spoiler:[[TheManBehindTheMan Or not, as it turns out]]. It's really the Seer]].* BinaryBitsAndBytes: Kid Radd has a ChargedAttack called the Mega Radd, which becomes stronger the longer it is charged. Its maximum charge power is based on the maximum word size for a system, which goes to 255 on an 8-bit system. [[spoiler: However, due to shoddy programming, it simply charges to the highest level it can, going to ''[[OverNineThousand over four billion]]'' on a 32-bit system, and making Radd one of the most powerful figures in the universe]].* BloodKnight: GI Guy [[spoiler: especially when he betrays Radd]].* BossArenaIdiocy: Kobayashi's DeathTrap robot has hovering platforms that can be stepped on to shoot its core.* BreakingTheFourthWall: The ending does this in a very awesome way. [[spoiler:You resurrect Bogey with a single click]].* BreatherEpisode: Fourth-Wall Week, especially the fourth one.* BrickJoke: In the credits, it appears that Kobayashi took some of Radd's advice to heart when making a new robot.* BrokenAce: GI Guy.* BrokenBridge: "[[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic472.htm#title Halt! This road is closed!]]"* ButtonMashing: Sheena tells the player to do this [[SmashingSurvival to help Radd break free]] from Gnarl's JediMindTrick.* CaptainErsatz: Radd's design was inspired by a video game character named Jake, from an old Jaleco game called ''VideoGame/TotallyRad'', as explained [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/credits.htm here.]] Radd's name also comes from said game.* CastFromHP:** Some of G.I. Guy's attacks.** In one case, Sheena's opponent in the fighting game tries every move in her arsenal, even one that sacrifices her own health, and loses when the time runs out because she took damage while Sheena remained unscathed.* CerebusSyndrome: Done well.* CharacterDevelopment: Again, done well. Hell, the CharacterDevelopment is practically a plot point: characters diverging from their pre-programmed actions is a major part of the plot; the heroes succeed because they have grown beyond what they were written to be, the villains fail because they have chosen to remain {{Static Character}}s.* ChargedAttack: The Mega Radd, which becomes an important plot device later on.* ChekhovsGun: The fact that [[spoiler: the Seer started life as a virus]].** Also, ''two'' from the very first chapter: [[spoiler:everything hurts Radd equally]] and [[spoiler:the Mega Radd charges to a max value of 255 because "Hey, do I have to explain everything?"]] The latter ends up having almost literally Earth-shattering significance.** Comic 592 is loaded with reminders of them from all across the comic.-->[[spoiler:'''Seer''': Fools! This is only a game death! I'll still exist, and will still destroy this world!]]-->[[spoiler:'''GI Guy''': Most of the time when sprites battle, they're just playing with each others' programming... Live or die, no code is actually damaged]].-->'''Radd''': How did you "half" kill somebody?\\'''Kobayashi''': Um, he got better.** The Lucky Penny item Elliot gives Radd during the ''Mofo'' storyarc. [[spoiler: It cancels out a single attack, which comes into play when The Seer is about to finish off Radd while he is on his last hit point during the final battle. The fact that Radd doesnt die throws the Seer off so badly that he gets sloppy, panics and goes to his final form]]* ClassicCheatCode: Parodying the tendency to make cheat codes spell something pronounceable (DULLARD, BARACUDA), the infinite Raddboard code is Right, Up, Right, A, Down, Down. (R U RADD?)* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler: The Seer gains a controllable sprite to use to TakeOverTheWorld, but loses its omniscience in the process, which is what allows the heroes to defeat it]].* CollisionDamage: Described as the "Touch of Death". In one CSI parody, this is how the murderer accidentally kills the victim.* TheComicallySerious: GI Guy.* ContemplateOurNavels: "What is a sprite? A miserable pile of pixels!" [[spoiler:The first attempt at civilization outside the games angsted itself to death, which didn't take much. Existential doubt is dangerous in the fireball-throwing hands of people who know ''exactly'' what they were created to do.]]* CoolButInefficient / BoringButPractical: Kobayashi has some cool and flashy attacks that never hit, and some boring attacks that never miss.* CoolAirship: Itty Bitty has one of these in his inventory, intended for the protagonists of his original game once they reached a certain level cap and had amassed enough money.* CurbStompBattle: Radd, Sheena and Bogey's fights against their counterparts in the fighting game. They regretfully decide that they're not strong enough to take along.** Much more dramatically, [[spoiler:Gnarl's]] fight with Radd after the former tracks him down--the degree to which he was completely out of his league was the plot's takeaway from the battle.* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: [[spoiler: Crystal. She doesn't kill her messengers, though as a sadist she loves torturing them, and rather than allow Radd to create an army with his powers, she has all copies of his ROM destroyed. She did let GI Guy live, but that was out of sadism, to torture him with the world of her own creation. She even calls it a stupid move]].* DeathOfAThousandCuts: [[spoiler:The Seer, while fused with Crystal]], has 9999 HP, but takes one point of damage per attack regardless of the attack's strength, and so must be hit about ten thousand times.* DeadpanSnarker: Nearly all of the main characters have their moments, but Bogey is the undisputed master of the art.* {{Deconstruction}}: Of video games, video game tropes, and probably some sprite comics as well. Game sprites act out their roles outside the game. At best, like Radd, they have a long way to go before they can channel their talents into something productive for society. At worst, they regress into violent behavior.-->'''GI Guy''': Over absolutely nothing, dozens of sprites started fighting and killing each other.\\'''Radd''': But why?\\'''GI Guy''': ''Because that's what video game characters do.''* DeconstructionCrossover: Using {{Captain Ersatz}}es and pastiches rather than actual trademarked VideoGame characters.* DescriptionCut:** During his fight against Kobayashi's machine, Radd reassures himself that the hours his player spent "training" him were not wasted. Cut to "Somewhere in the real world," where we see a human (assumably Radd's former player) washing dishes, and thinking his mother was right: "Play video games all day, and you'll grow up a loser!"** The chimeraized Gnarl/Kobayashi run to contact Dr. Amp for help with getting de-chimeraized, saying "They can't be too busy. It's not like they're entertaining guests or anything." Cut to the ''High Score,'' which is now filled with Shopkeeper [=NPCs=] and a very confused Itty Bitty.* DesignatedGirlFight: Lampshaded.-->'''Sheena''': Oh look, I'm up against a girl. Hooray for typecasting.* DeusExMachina: {{Lampshaded}} as a running gag.* [[spoiler:DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Let's face it, even with the issues caused by the Seer's chimera form, defeating him was a pretty impressive achievement]].* DolledUpInstallment: Parodied with ''Kid Radd 2'', which poked fun at ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''. There's also [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic423.htm#title Bogey Pinball]]...* EasterEgg: In-story. See LordBritishPostulate.** In its usual sense, there's a EasterEgg in one of the last strips. See SelfDeprecatingHumor.** Much like the above egg, [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic372.htm#p3 this panel]] provides one found in the same manner. --> [[spoiler:'''Magical Maid Robo Sheena!''']]\\\\[[spoiler:I never understood why girls watch [[MagicalGirl these shows]]. I mean, boys don't watch shows with [[{{Fanservice}} near-naked men]]... Wait. Wrestling. Never mind.]]* TheEighties: When the ''Kid Radd'' games were made.* EightiesHair: Kid Radd's sequel counterpart has a mullet.-->'''[=Radd2=]''': It's the latest in hair technology.* EvilOverlordList: [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/dictator2.htm This]] is Gnarl's take on this idea.* EvilTwin: Radd's 'brother' Gnarl.* EvolvingCredits: If a comic takes place inside a game, the title page will be from that game as well. It also [[spoiler: gets more and more glitchy as the Kid Radd 2 game collapses]].* FacelessEye: The Seer's avatar...Actually a bunch of {{Faceless Eye}}s, given that he's a HiveMind.* FanService: See SelfDeprecatingHumor.* FishOutOfWater: A lot of sprites don't fit into the world outside their games, either from inability to cope well (Many hero sprites) or actual handicaps (Many enemy sprites).* FriendlyTarget: Taking Bogey into combat situations is dangerous, since he only has one HP and any encounters with heroes has a good chance of ending with his permanent death.* FromNobodyToNightmare: Crystal, who started out as an RPG RandomEncounter and became the BigBad of the comic.* FunnyBackgroundEvent: In "JUST CAN'T WIN"* FunWithAcronyms: The Kid Radd engine based on the comic is known as the Kid Radd Internal Map Editor, or KRIME for short.* FusionDance: Features a Mixed Form version mid way through the comic. Also features a Composite character very late on, with an actual dance that looks (in minimal pixels) very similar to the ''Manga/DragonBall Z'' TropeNamer version.* GameBreaker: [[invoked]] Sprites who were balanced in their own games can be very broken in other games. Radd and Bogey find it very easy to StunLock fighting game characters, for example.* GlassCannon: Radd, once outside of his own game--he's got enough raw power to [[spoiler:''affect the real world from the internet'']], but will die after four hits, no matter how trivial.** [[MadeOfIron Or no matter how powerful.]]* GoldfishPoopGang: Gnarl and Kobayashi, [[spoiler:though both of them perform [[HeelFaceTurn Heel Face Turns]] near the end of the story. Furthermore, Kobayashi subverts the trope by becoming scarily competent right before said HeelFaceTurn]].* GoneHorriblyWrong: [[spoiler:The attempt to fuse murderous sprites with NPC sprites, rather than resulting in sprites that could live peacefully, resulted in ones that can kill without being defeatable. It took quite a bit of effort to round them up, and a collapsing video game ROM to destroy them]].* GoodBadBugs: Turns out to be a major, dramatic plot point. [[spoiler: Because of programmer laziness, the charged Mega Radd just charges until the variable limit has been reached. In his original game, this put Radd's maximum damage at 255. On modern systems, the limit is high enough to cause [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt ...problems]]]].[[invoked]]** Itty Bitty's sprite being rendered only above counter level is one he takes advantage of; by crouching down all the way, he becomes invisible.** Also how the main villain is finally defeated. [[spoiler: Combining so many different types of sprites causes his "death code" to not know what to do, and permanently lock up.]]* GoodIsDumb: Inverted by [[spoiler:Kobayashi]] in rather awesome fashion - see GoldfishPoopGang.* TheGoomba: Bogey's role in the ''Webcomic/KidRadd'' games.* {{GIFT}}: Very much present in the chatrooms where Radd serves as an avatar.* GrandFinale: Plus an epilogue.* GravityIsAHarshMistress: Physics doesn't exist. Characters fall at the rates they're programmed to fall.* GrievousHarmWithABody:** Radd uses Sheena as a club to defeat Kobayashi. Fortunately for her, she has NPC invulnerability. It's still "[[ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels a whole new kind of ]]'''[[ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels wrong]]'''."** Itty Bitty uses one of those unnamed RedshirtArmy {{Mooks}} as a bowling ball to knock down dozens of them.* GroinAttack: Radd to Kobayashi at the end of their first encounter. (See {{WhatWouldXDo}} below.)* {{Hammerspace}}: Used by Sheena, after the GrievousHarmWithABody event.* HandWave: Often parodied.* HenshinHero: Sheena later acquires a temporary mode where she becomes like a player character, being able to attack like a (mostly) stronger version of Radd but losing her invincibility.** SuperpoweredAlterEgo: This is the result of merging with the code she has in the sequel to Kid Radd. Also, she seems to have the ability to switch modes at will, giving her the best of both worlds.* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Bogey, although he got resurrected at the end]].* HitScan: Kobayashi's shuriken are revealed to be HitScan weapons that pretty much teleport right to the target.* HiveMind: The Seer is a conglomeration of various bots in a computer virus, effectively allowing him omniscience. [[spoiler:Still didn't stop him from getting blown to next Thursday]].* HockeyMaskAndChainsaw: One of the nameless sprites, presumably the villain in whatever game he originated from.* HomoeroticSubtext: Gnarl and Kobayashi again.--> '''Gnarl''': [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday Er, did I mention my unquenchable love of the ladies?]]* HumansAreCthulhu: Sprites use the term "humanlike power" as we might say "godlike power." They're treated as gods, and many characters spend a good deal of time contemplating the implications and cruelty of what most videogames are created for. [[spoiler:Though it's the villains who try to RageAgainstTheHeavens]]. Pretty accurate, really, except when they assume the humans know what they're doing (and that all humans are programmers).* HyperspaceArsenal: Itty Bitty can carry an entire spaceship in his inventory.* InvulnerableCivilians: Described as "NPC Invulnerability".* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Kobayashi and Gnarl.* InformedJudaism: Kobayashi reveals he is Jewish in a holiday strip. Whether or not it's {{Canon}} is irrelevant to RuleOfFunny.* InstantSeiza: Not exactly, but you should see how fast Radd and Sheena move away from each other when they realize they aren't about to die.* InterchangeableAntimatterKeys: Itty-Bitty ''has an infinite supply'', being a shopkeeper sprite programmed to sell them. When law-enforcement member QB discovers this he is quite suitably appalled.* JediMindTrick: "''You have the urge to do some accounting...''"* KirkSummation: After giving Gnarl his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, Radd continues into this.--> '''Radd:''' Moron. I'm doing this because I care about you. You'll learn soon enough that blindly following your pre-programmed desires isn't true happiness. Sure, it's fun once in a while, but it isn't everything. [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre You are more than just your programming.]] We all are. And it'd be a terrible waste if you never even tried to expand yourself. So get out there and forge a life on your own. It won't be long before you discover things that make you far happier than stupid set patterns. Later, Gnarl. Good luck on the path ahead, whatever you make it to be.* LampshadeHanging: {{Tropes}} in general.* LethalJokeCharacter: Recruiting these is the strategy the Seer recommends for opposing the Moderators.* LifeMeter: Visually depicted for dramatic purposes.* LimitBreak: After firing 500 times, Sheena in PC Mode can unleash Pretty Armageddon, a screen-clearing special move.* [[LukeIAmYourFather Luke I Am Your Brother]]: Gnarl says this the first time he and Radd meet in the game.* LordBritishPostulate: The boss of ''Mofo''.* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:The Seer, behind Crystal]].* MercyInvincibility: Being from a PlatformGame, Radd unsurprisingly has it. This becomes fairly significant when he and the others travel to a FightingGame, where it utterly disables the effective use of {{Combos}} by opposing sprites.* MergingMachine: The Chimera program.* MirrorBoss: Gnarl was this in Radd's original game.* {{MST}}: At the Moderators Tour Ride and the Third Fourth-Wall Week** The episode is even called [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Deep 13]]-->'''Captain QB''': Guys, talking during a movie is NOT funny.-->'''Kid Radd''': It's not?-->'''Bogey''': [[ZeroWing What you say?]]* MusicalThemeNaming: About half of the comics are named after 80s songs.* NeutralFemale: Lampshaded by Sheena. "I just stand around."* NiceGuy: Bogey. "And boy, does it stink."* NighInvulnerability: Due to the way NPC's are coded, most of them cannot be hurt or destroyed in ''any'' way, even outside their games. The only way would be if their code was damaged or deleted, which normally cant be done from inside the Internet.* NoFairCheating: In ''Mofo'', the VideoGame/EarthBound-ersatz. They have to [[spoiler:deplete the boss' HP in a single round, since they don't have the character necessary to kill him the right way]]. When this happens, the game sends them to a [[DevelopersRoom behind-the-sceens area]], where a sprite chides them for cheating, rather than continuing the plot of the game. * NoFourthWall: A lot of the bonus material.** When Sheena starts taking up too much screen time, Radd takes her to [[PaintingTheMedium stand in front of the title page]] of the comic and points out that this is his comic because it's HIS name on there.** After a party scene where the reader could click on different buttons to play through different dancing animations:-->'''Sheena:''' Wow, that was a short party.-->'''Bogey:''' I guess the reader's John Ashcroft.* NormalFishInATinyPond: Radd himself, due to some lazy programming.* OhCrap: [[spoiler:The Seer; "Oh yeah, the control room. [[CurseCutShort OH SHI-]]"]]* OmnicidalManiac: Two characters: [[spoiler:GI and the Seer, both of whom attempt to destroy the world, for very [[WellIntentionedExtremist different]] [[AxCrazy reasons]]. The Seer goes the extra mile by planning to travel to other planets, the slow way, in hope of finding more life so he can destroy that as well]].* OmniscientMoralityLicense: The Moderators destroy game worlds in their quest to free video game sprites. They argue it is for the sprites' best, but the sprites get no say as their world is doomed as soon as the Moderators enter it. Sheena, however, has doubts about this, and decides to tender her resignation just before she learns of the plot to kill Radd.* TheOmniscient: The Seer. [[spoiler:He ends up being NotSoOmniscientAfterAll]].* PairTheSpares: At the very end, [[spoiler:Bogey and Joule]] glomp each other adorably... and accidentally.* PantsFree: For a while, Itty Bitty is only seen standing behind a counter. He eventually comes out from behind the counter, revealing that he has ''nothing'' below his midsection. (As in, not just no pants, but ''no body''.) This is presumably because he spent all his time in his game behind a counter, therefore the game artists only needed to draw him from the waist up. His arms also disappear if he drops them below his waist. This also applies to the nurse the team picks up.* PeoplePuppets: One of G.I. Guy's abilities allows him to take control of another person's body. However, they have to either be incredibly weak to begin with, or he has to weaken them to at least 25% of their HP before he can take control.* PersonOfMassDestruction: Radd, on modern systems (see below).* PowersOfTwoMinusOne: Radd's charged attack. This is given as having a limit of 255, for reasons Radd can't be bothered to explain (he's on an 8-bit system, obviously). [[spoiler:Said non-explanation turns out to be a ChekhovsGun: Radd's programmers ''didn't actually set a limit to Radd's charge'', they just relied on 8-bit computing to enforce a 255-power max... having no apparent need to take into account a scenario where Radd might not be limited to 8-bits. The power of Radd's charge attack thus gets exponentially more destructive as processing power goes up, making him a PersonOfMassDestruction on higher-end systems. On the highest levels, his charge packs enough punch to obliterate the internet itself.]]* RandomEncounter: The BigBad [[FromNobodyToNightmare started as one]] in her source game. Being utterly irrelevant to her own game's plot, she reacts with resentment and contempt towards sprites who behave as though their in-story roles actually have any real significance.* RedPillBluePill: In a Matrix parody Radd is offered the usual red and blue pills. But there's also the purple pill to relieve acid indigestion and an orange pill to reduce your cholesterol. The yellow pill is for erm... personal reasons (because the blue pill was already taken). And Radd can't just choose any pill, first he must [[SideEffectsInclude ask his doctor if they're right for him]].* RescueRomance: Joule gets a little crush on Radd after he saves her from Kobayashi. It eventually grows to full-blown jealousy of Sheena's relationship with Radd.* TheReveal: Hoo boy. [[spoiler:The Seer stepping out from behind [[TheManBehindTheMan The Man]]; see below]].* [[RidingIntoTheSunset Walking Into the Sunset]]: Gnarl does this after his outside the game fight with Radd.* RunningGag: A fair few. Whenever Dr Amp explains a piece of science, whoever he's talking to says "So it's a rip off of X," to which he replies, "Well, [[OlderThanTheyThink Y actually]]. But yeah."** When the player wins Kid Radd's original game, the title character leans in to kiss his 'girlfriend' Sheena, only to be rudely cut off by a FadeToBlack and the victory credits. [[spoiler:This fate seems to follow the two even once they leave the game; on several occasions, the two lean in to kiss, only to be interrupted by someone or something. Including in the closing animation of the comic.]]* SaveThePrincess: The plot of the ''Kid Radd'' game.* SelfDeprecatingHumor: [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic594.htm#p6 This strip]] combines Fanservice, with Spoilers, with Self-Deprecating humor, with an EasterEgg. 4 for the price of one! [[spoiler:If you highlight the bottom part of the panel, you can read "Undoubtedly the lowest this strip has stooped."]]* ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler:The Seer]] for the main characters.* ShaggyDogStory: Subverted. At first glance, Dr. Amp's explanation of how the heroes defeated the BigBad seems like they didn't need to do anything. A little thought shows that they did have to win first, but they know that this villain's not coming back.* ShopliftAndDie: Used as part of [[spoiler: Radd's army of sprites with unusual game mechanics]]. No boss, however powerful and convoluted, can possibly be a match (in the long run) for an invincible shopkeeper with an attack...* ShootTheMessenger: Crystal. (She settles for "infliction of gratuitous pain" -- almost as much fun as killing him, but less wasteful and less cliché.)* ShoutOut: Lots, especially the "original" games.** ''Kid Radd 2'' is ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', and ''Mofo'' is clearly ''VideoGame/EarthBound''.** ''[[Franchise/FinalFantasy Final Legacy]]''. So obvious it hurts.** And the passcode for the chimerization chamber is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/867-5309/Jenny 8675309]].*** All the chapter titles are also song titles.** A ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' shout-out: "What is a sprite? A miserable pile of pixels!"** The {{MST}} episode is called [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Deep 13.]]*** One comic has Radd [[TheMatrix turning Captain QC into a clone of himself.]]---> '''Bogey:''' Wow. [[LampshadeHanging Pop culture references in one's dreams are rarely a good sign.]]* SmartBomb: PC Sheena's "Pretty Armageddon" is one of these in ''Kid Radd 2,'' and has a similar effect outside the game, though what defines a "screen" outside the game is indeterminate.* SociopathicHero: The intrinsic nature of a staggering majority of video game heroes, once they try to live together.* SoundOfNoDamage: Lampshaded in [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic197.htm#title Comic 197]].-->Fool! My traps are protected with an indestructible alloy! I shall laugh as your pathetic attacks bounce off with a cutesy "clink" sound! Mwa ha and ha!* SpikesOfDoom: "Sharp Painful Object Land".* TheSlacker: Radd. While most [=NPCs=] follow their programming, he doesn't do anything unless his player is controlling him, and is thus initially unmotivated. It's indicated that this is a problem for most [=PCs=].* StationaryBoss: The Gnarlborg, [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic348.htm#title much to Crystal's amusement]].* StevenUlyssesPerhero: A subtle one. The Seer's original name as a virus was 'Cool Ragnarok'. Now take the initials: CR. Now what does that sound like when said aloud?* SweetheartSipping: [=Sheena2=] wants to do this with Bogey. See the link at the trope page.* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Averted. Twice, Kid Radd has an inner monologue in the middle of a battle, and both times, he takes another hit as a result of his opponent still attacking and his MercyInvincibility wearing off.--> '''Radd:''' Note to self: Learn to think and dodge at the same time.* {{Technobabble}}: Inverted and lampshaded at all times by Dr. Amp: "The sensors are picking up some '''stuff'''!", "it's got a wavy-line thingy".* TemptingFate: Radd: [[RockBottom "There couldn't possibly be a more humiliating way to die!"]]* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: ** Radd gives one of these to Gnarl after blasting him with a 999 Damage Mega Radd, leaving him with 1 HP left, but refusing to finish him off.--> '''Radd:''' Sorry Gnarl, but you're gonna hafta deal with the struggle of living just like the rest of us. I'm no longer a puppet to my programming, or to a human. I don't just mimic my former player's goals and moves, but have developed new ones on my own. You, on the other hand, have stayed the same as you always were, changing none, improving none. You've learned nothing. Which is why you can't beat me. I'll continue to change, and you'll stay the same. The difference between us will forever grow. You'll never be able to have a "real" battle with me, and I'll never kill you. [[FateWorseThanDeath Your programming will forever go unfulfilled.]]** G.I. Guy also gives one, although it's more a "The Reason We All Suck" Speech.--> '''G.I. Guy''': You know the game I came from was cruel, but my player was even crueller. He'd spend hours leveling me up, looking for every damn secret treasure and hidden ability. Utter torture... The only thing that kept me going was the vague knowledge that somehow, despite its harshness, the world I was in was not real. It was an illusion created by wicked humans who exploited our pain for their pleasure. When I finally escaped that game, the joy at starting over was immense. Finally, I had comrades like myself, who happily worked with me to create a new world, a better one than the fake existences we knew before. How naive I was. We were still killers, and that was a fate we could never escape.\\As disturbing it was, the revelation came gradually. During the failure of Protos, an unsettling pattern became apparent. Almost every game the humans made shared a common theme: destruction. Whether it was overt bloody slaughter, or simply "defeating" enemies by jumping on them, game after game required you to kill several hundred enemies to win. Even the most seemingly innocent games shared this trait. Puzzle games destroy blocks, sports games glorify violence. Every damn game, always about pain and death... [...]\\The humans have imbued us with their tainted nature. We're made in their image. We reek of their natural instincts. Our synthetic souls are mirrors of theirs, so we, like them, take pleasure in violence. And ''that'' is precisely why my dream of a perfect world came crashing down. Twice.* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: In ''Mofo'', Radd enjoys charging his attack to the maximum, regardless of how much is needed to defeat the enemy. [[note]]It's a turn-based RPG, so he can get away with this. And for the record, it's (possibly) a 12-bit system, though G.I. Guy's attack against the final boss (9990) suggests Radd might actually be be ''cutting off'' before the real limit.[[/note]]* TookALevelInBadass: Gnarl and Kobayashi, [[spoiler:right before their HeelFaceTurn]].* TotallyRadical: Done intentionally and {{lampshaded}}. [[MST3KMantra "Just go with it."]]* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Averted. The further along the story goes, the less descriptive the chapter descriptions get.* TransformationSequence: "Magical Maid Robo Sheena"* TriangRelations: Both Radd and Bogey are vying for Sheena. Sheena's starting to develop relations for Radd, which would leave Bogey a HopelessSuitor, were it not for the fact that Sheena's code-absorbed 'sister' personality from Kid Radd 2 [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe wants to take Bogey home]].* {{Tsundere}}: Sheena. [[spoiler:Moreso after fusing with her "sister" from ''Kid Radd 2''.]]* UnfamiliarCeiling: Radd, after taking some infected code, wakes up in the Moderators' infirmary, initially believing that he's in hell before he opens his eyes.* UselessUsefulSpell[=/=]ContractualBossImmunity: Discussed between Sheena and Amp [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic391.htm#title here]].* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: As revealed in the fight with him, the Seer does ''not like'' variables he didn't predict]].* WaveMotionGun: Sheena's "Pretty Armageddon"* WarriorTherapist: Radd to Gnarl, resulting [[spoiler:in an eventual HeelFaceTurn]].* WellExcuseMePrincess: Radd and Sheena, oh so much.* WellIntentionedExtremist: Radd gives a nicely succinct [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic544.htm#p2 description of the trope]] when referring to [[spoiler:G.I. Guy]]:-->'''Sheena''': You're actually sympathizing with him?\\'''Radd''': No way! He was just... well, like a lot of madmen. Somewhat accurate view of the problem, really insane view of the solution.** Captain QB decides to have Radd killed, believing that Crystal's plan will help free the rest of the sprites. He later realizes that he was wrong and apologizes ''profusely'' to Radd.* WhamEpisode: TheReveal above.* WhamLine:** [[spoiler: "Crystal? No, no, no, Crystal has left the building. '''YOU'RE TALKING TO THE SEER.'''"]]** --> [[spoiler: G.I. Guy]]: Over absolutely nothing, [[spoiler: dozens of sprites started fighting and killing each other.]]--> Radd: But why?--> [[spoiler: G.I. Guy]]: ''[[spoiler: Because that's what video game characters do]].''** '''Sheena''': Besides, if you'd died, how could I arrest you?** Sheena announcing that [[spoiler:the Moderators already took Reset]] after she and Radd defeat the fleet at the portals.** [[spoiler:'''4095''' counts as one, as it's the first indication that the 255-damage limit of Kid Radd's Mega Radd attack is not the hard cap everyone thought it was.]]** Radd: So... [[BreakingTheFourthWall how]] [[TearJerker about]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming it human?]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome ''GAME START - OK'']]* WhatWouldXDo: Discussed in Radd's first fight with Koyabashi.--->'''Radd:''' When I'm in trouble, I like to ask myself: What would ol' J.C. do?\\'''Koyabashi:''' J.C.? [[Literature/TheBible Jesus Christ?]]\\'''Radd:''' [[MortalKombat Johnny Cage.]] (Crouches down and [[GroinAttack hits Koyabashi in the groin.]]) The funny thing is, that's Johnny's answer to everything.\\'''Koyabashi:''' (whispering) [[CrowningMomentofFunny not... the nards... again...]]* WhyDontYaJustShootHim?: Justified and Averted. In the final battle, Radd puts up with the villain's monologue to get time to charge his attack. He fires as soon as he finds out how much HP the villain has, and realizes that he has charged sufficiently to instantly kill [[spoiler: The Seer. It doesn't work.]].* WidgetSeries: [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic425.htm#title The anime Bogey watches.]] [[invoked]]-->[[Anime/ReadOrDie "Evil superclones of historical figures wanna destroy the world by having Beethoven play music in a rocket, and the only one who can stop them is a substitute teacher who telekinetically controls paper."]]* {{Wishplosion}}: anyone who consults the Seer becomes destined to die within a few weeks[[note]]or so most sprites believe, at least[[/note]], so Crystal asks him how to become immortal.* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Parodied in [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic220.htm#title a gag comic]]; after Radd gets beaten up by Koyabashi, Bogey approaches him with a book full of "epiphanies", saying: "After the hero gets his ass kicked, he or she has a defining moment, which somehow makes them a bajillion times stronger."* YouGetWhatYouPayFor: A couple of flunkies are given ten grand to buy the very best assassin to kill Kid Radd while he's in jail. The flunkies decide to get a discount ninja for twenty bucks and keep the rest. The ninja can't hit the broad side of a barn.